ROBERT DICKERSON

Robert Dickerson is an artist who sits within the modernist tradition of Australian art. His works largely consists of subtle variations upon his own distinctive way of representing the human face. Once you are familiar with a few Dickerson paintings or prints you will find his work easy to pick out. It is this very fact that is sometimes used as a criticism of his art. However I think that this is a superficial stance. Robert Dickerson’s work is very rarely pretty. I would argue that what people are responding to – in part at least – is its underlying emotional appeal – the hints of sadness and anger that these figures exhibit in their familiar suburban or work settings. Dickerson’s art is more than just a ‘branding’ phenomena. He has tapped into some sort of questioning dis-ease within our everyday life.